Body found in Farmington Hills identified as 82-year-old woman WITH VIDEO

By JOHN TURK

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

It was a seemingly normal Tuesday morning for Farmington Hills resident Trudy Ehlers. That is, until she looked outside and saw something out of place.

Marjorie Caruthers, 82, was found around 8 a.m. in a pond behind Ehlers' home on Clear Lake Drive near Nine Mile and Halsted. Officers discovered her body approximately 20 feet off shore, partially submerged in the pond. They also found her coat and medical identification on the shore. She was pronounced dead after being taken to Botsford Hospital, according to the Farmington Hills Police Department.

Caruthers lived in the same neighborhood as Ehlers, and has for quite some time -- 35 years. Ehlers couldn't believe what she was hearing when she found out who the person was.

She recounted the story.

"I woke up and looked out the window and saw a jacket sitting in the commons area across the pond," she said. "I walked away, but then thought about it and got my binoculars out."

As she peered through the binoculars, she saw something disturbing.

"I saw an arm resting on top of the ice, and a hat," said Ehlers. "I thought, 'I can't be seeing what I'm seeing.' I couldn't breathe."

She called police, who came to the Green Hill Woods subdivision and found Caruthers' body in the pond.

Strange factors in death

After the commotion Tuesday, Ehlers -- and other neighbors -- were dumbfounded. There were a few strange details surrounding Caruthers' death.

Caruthers lived on Vacri Lane, which is more than a quarter-mile from the pond she was found in.

"I talked to other neighbors who knew her better," said Ehlers. "She did have some health problems, but not dementia ... she was fine."

Elma Granata, Caruthers' neighbor and longtime friend, said the 82-year-old was in the process of moving to a senior citizen community.

"She was so excited ... she was packing and packing, and she didn't have to sign until March," said Granata, owner of Granata Realty Inc. "She wanted to be ready."

Granata couldn't understand why, or how, Caruthers traveled across the subdivision, leaving her car in her driveway.

Ehlers also said she'd heard from Caruthers' family friend that her bed was neatly made. She added that Caruthers was in her nightgown and slippers at the time of her death.

"I've never dealt with anything like this," said Ehlers. "What would make someone do that?"

Granata -- who said she loved Caruthers like a mother -- remarked that Caruthers was a "sweet lady," and a wonderful person.

"None of us can figure it out," she said.

Third death in February

Caruthers is the third Oakland County resident this month to be found dead outside.

On Feb. 1, Virginia Hayes, 83, and Dean Fine, 78, were found dead in two different cities -- Hayes in Ortonville and Fine in Farmington Hills.

In at least one of this month's earlier deaths, similar behaviors were exhibited.

According to Brandon Township deputies, Hayes had been taking off her clothes in the minutes before she died on a neighbor's front porch on the 3900 block of Oakwood Road.

Both deaths were caused by hypothermia, said county medical investigators. Another possible connection was the fact that both senior citizens were suffering from dementia.

Paradoxical undressing is a term closely tied to hypothermia, said Henry Ford Hospital's Jawad Arshad in early February.

"A person will get so confused that they will have absolutely no idea what they are doing," said Arshad. "This happens during the final stages of hypothermia."

Oakland County Medical Examiner's Office investigators said Caruthers' autopsy is pending, and likely will be completed today. No funeral arrangements have been made yet.